cvj – Perhaps my sense of irony is off tonight, but do you really consider Trillanes and Lim to be heroes? I didn’t mind them at the time of Oakwood (and the arrest of General Garcia soon after the coup demonstrated the truth of their central claim that the military is rotten to the core) but this latest stunt is just ridiculous.

I went down to the Peninsula this evening at about 6pm and as I looked at all the military hanging around Ayala, the military renegades still locked up in the hotel, and the retired military men in the Arroyo government, I thought soldiers have far too much say in this country. The army is about twice the size it needs to be and it is sticking its hands in places where it has no business at all. The AFP needs to be halved and it needs to be completely banished from public life. Let it concentrate on what it has manifestly failed to do over the past decade—controlling terrorist groups like the Abu Sayyaf.

Trillanes and his gang are just another side of the same grubby coin – their victory can only lead to even more militarization in the Philippines which is the last thing we need.

ADB, as i told Torn, i think Trillanes and Lim are heroes. The people who criticize them (whether pro- or anti-Arroyo) do so because they lost. These people are probably the same bunch who will praise them to high heavens if ever, as a result of their actions, they succeeded in taking over Malacanang. As far as that aspect (i.e. losing or winning) is concerned, i'd react in the same way. That's the Balimbing culture for you.

While they should be criticized for their Andres Bonifacio style rashness, i salute what they stand for and the fact that they took action on our behalf. That's more than can be said for the vast majority who would have enjoyed the fruits of their victory. I just hope they'd pay more attention to the execution aspect next time..

“Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago Friday filed an urgent resolution asking punitive action against Trillanes for leading the power grab Thursday at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati.”GMA NEWS

For once,I agree with Lady Miriam.Senator Trillanes is not above the law!

BUT,may I ask Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago ,How about GLORIA?

“No man (or woman) is above the law and no man is below it; nor do we ask any man’s permission when we ask him to obey it. Theodore Roosevelt”

How could so many scandals of an elected(?) president and her cadre remain unexplained, unchallenged, and unpunished? When? Probably never.

We’re not talking mistakes, here. We’re not talking poor judgment or failed policies. We’re not talking politics as usual, with its underhanded array of pork and perks. But we are talking about very serious violations of the public trust, and very possibly the law, perpetrated by the elected(?) leader of this nation and her handlers.

Even more amazingly, we are talking about the shameful reality that not a single one of these offenses has been investigated by a truly independent, non-political, neutral commission, armed with subpoena powers and adequate funding, and answerable ONLY to the people of Philippines. Not a single one.

What ever happened to the investigation of:

* The National Power Corp. (Napocor) -CPK-Kalayaan rehabilitation project.

* The race horse importation fiasco.

* The overpriced Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard exposé.

* Misuse of the fertilizer funds,

* The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. scandals.

* The jueteng scandals.

* the ZTE-NBN scandal(”Buck off!”).

* The Bribery of Governors and Congressmen in Malacanang.

* The MOTHER of ALL SCANDALS :THE HELLO GARCI Mega Scandal that influenced the last Presidential elections.

* The Extra-Judicial Killings of Activists as reported by the United Nations special raporteur on human rights.

* And many more…

What’s left to be said? Not very much. Gloria Pidal has had a free pass to do as she pleased since 2001.She and her political operators have not been held accountable for any crime against the people of this country. Gloria is above the law.Why?

The question in this whole episode is: Where was everybody? It wasnt raining that hard. (Erap and Binay were in Quezon City on a medical mission. The rest, I dont know.) No one in the opposition even tried to mediate a peaceful resolution even if they didnt agree with Trillanes's methods. There wasnt even a threat of people power.

The whole thing reminds me of that movie The Rock. General Hummel said, "Our mission was based on the threat of force... We bluffed, they called. It's over." Trillanes and Lim surrendered when they were 'called'.

read your discussion with silent waters...It surely is a free cyberspace country :-). Like you, i sympathize and agree with what Trillanes and Lim stood for. Nasayangan lang ako dahil namukha talaga silang talo. People have a tendency to judge events more on the externals. I have to admit that I am one of those who just sit and wait...kaya I admire these people who acted despite the unpredictability of events. My criteria of heroes are those who dare to be unpopular and shake the very smug-ness of the status quo. Trillanes and Lim as well as the other individuals in Manila Pen (who really were there in all sincerity) to fit that category.

Hi Nutart, i'm also one of those who largely sit, wait and hope. By contrast, Trillanes and Lim took direct action on our behalf notwidthstanding the odds. As you said, that's what makes them heroes. As Nassim Nicolas Taleb, in talking about the values of the Stoics said:

"Recall that epic heroes were judged by their actions, not by the results. No matter how sophisticated our choices, how good we are at dominating the odds, randomness will have the last word. We are left only with dignity as a solution - dignity defined as the execution of a protocol of behavior that does not depend on the immediate circumstance."

Unfortunately, many of our countrymen judge people more by the outcomes of their actions rather than the principles that they fight for. The Balimbing phenomenon has been an integral part of Philippine history.